High pesticide inhalation exposure from multiple spraying sources amongst applicators in Eswatini, Southern Africa

Serious concerns surround the potential risks resulting from inhalation exposure to pesticides amongst agricultural workers when mixing and applying these compounds. In Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Southern Africa, pesticides are widely used to improve the yield and quality of sugar cane production, the largest contributor to the country's economy. We assessed applicators' inhalation exposures from multiple spraying sources to four commonly used herbicides in Eswatini.

Analysis of 76 personal air samples by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) revealed four pesticides: ametryn, atrazine, pendimethalin and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, with mean concentrations of 36.91, 21.57, 31.05 and 0.89 μg m^-3 , respectively. These inhalation exposures are much higher than those recorded in previous similar studies.

Although all applicators in this study used personal protective equipment (PPE), they nevertheless recorded high levels of inhalation exposure to commonly used pesticides. Our findings suggest that in addition to observing mandated regular changing and cleaning practices with PPE for ultimate personal protection, pesticide applicators should distance themselves from each other when spraying to effectively reduce their exposure to pesticides from multiple spraying sources. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal spraying distance between pesticide applicators. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.